Thursday, March 31, 2016

March 31, 2016 (The Wall Street Journal)
The Pentagon has drawn up plans to position American troops, tanks and other
armored vehicles full time along NATO’s eastern borders to deter Russian
aggression, in what would be the first such deployment since the end of the
Cold War. The Pentagon intends the plans as an escalation of a proposal it
announced last year, when it said it was looking at ways to increase U.S.
military deterrence in Eastern Europe, such as prepositioning older materiel in
the region. Some countries on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s eastern
flank have expressed concern about the depth of the U.S. commitment to their
defense - especially in the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s
intervention in Ukraine. Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work said the new
plan should allay such worries because it would position more of the U.S.
Army’s best and most-modern equipment in the area, while rotating in a
brigade’s worth of U.S. Army troops. The new gear includes 250 tanks, Bradley
Fighting Vehicles and Paladin self-propelled howitzers as well as more than
1,700 additional wheeled vehicles and trucks. Combined with equipment already
in Europe, “there will be a division’s worth of stuff to fight if something
happens,” Mr. Work told The Wall Street Journal. “If push came to shove, they’d
be able to come together as a cohesive unit that has trained together, with all
their organic equipment, and fight. That’s a lot better than what we have right
now.”

Lithuanian and U.S. troops taking part in military training in Rukla,
Lithuania, last week.

Monday, March 28, 2016

March 28, 2016 (REUTERS) The combined
Russian-separatist forces attempted to storm one of the Ukrainian army
strongholds near Avdiyivka, the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) press center
reported. It is noted that the situation in the ATO zone
remains tense, with pro-Russian mercenaries having attacked Ukrainian forces 18
times during the day. "Shelling does not cease near Avdiyivka. During the
reported period, the enemy has launched fire six times using mortars, grenade
launchers, machine guns and large-caliber firearms," a statement reads. Also,
illegal armed groups tried to storm one of the strongholds of the ATO forces
near Avdiyivka. Ukrainian servicemen had to open retaliation fire, forcing a
sabotage and reconnaissance group of six militants to retreat. No casualties
among Ukrainian forces have been reported, information on enemy casualties is
being clarified, the press center said. According to the ATO headquarters, in
the Mariupol direction, militants used anti-tank guided missiles and 120mm
caliber mortars to shell the ATO forces near Novotroitske. In addition, the
pro-Russian gangs were also firing at Ukrainian positions near the villages of
Shyrokyne and Taramchuk using small arms. Ukrainian servicemen have opened fire
several times in response to militant aimed attacks, but solely from the
weapons not prohibited by the Minsk agreements, the ATO headquarters
emphasized.

Friday, March 25, 2016

March 25, 2016
(KyivPost) Several hundred people came to pay their respects to Georgiy
Gongadze, a Ukrainian journalist killed in 2000, at the funeral in Kyiv on
March 22. Gongadze was buried in the yard of the
Mykola Naberezhny Church in Kyiv's Podil district. The journalist who founded
online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda was kidnapped and murdered on Sept. 16, 2000.His
decapitated body was discovered on Nov. 2 in the forest in Kyiv Oblast. In
2008, the court convicted three police officers to various prison terms. In
2013, ex-police top official Oleksiy Pukach was convicted, too. He admitted to
be the main executor of the murder.

The
investigation never found who ordered the murder. The court verdict in 2013
said it was former Interior Minister Yuri Kravchenko, who killed himself in
2005 on the day he was supposed to be questioned about the Gongadze case.Mayor Mykola Melnychenko who worked in the security service for ex-President
Leonid Kuchma, released the tapes of the phone calls that have a person with a
voice resembling Kuchma's ordering to "deal with Gongadze."Gongadze's widow Myroslava Gongadze, head of Voice
of America's Ukrainian service, visited the funeral along with her two
daughters. After the murder, the family relocated to the U.S.

Thursday, March 24, 2016

March 24, 2016 (UNIAN) Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko
believes a decision on the release of Ukrainian military pilot and
parliamentarian Nadiya Savchenko and her return home can be made only after the
sentence handed down on her by a Russian court takes legal effect.

"I do not expect any decisions
before the so-called court judgment takes effect," Poroshenko told
journalists in Kharkiv, pointing out that the sentence should come into effect
in early April. "As soon as this happens, Nadia should be immediately
returned to Ukraine," he said.

Russian riot police officers and cossacks
patrol next to a courthouse in the southern Russian town of Donetsk on March
22, ahead of the verdict announcement in the murder trial of Ukrainian pilot
Nadiya Savchenko.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

March 23, 2016 (Sputnik News) Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan
Poltorak and UK Minister of State for the Armed Forces Penny Mordaunt signed a
new defense agreement. According to Mordaunt, the UK agreed to double its
assistance to the Ukrainian defense ministry. In the past year, about 2,000
members of the Ukrainian army has been trained by the UK military instructors. Ukraine also received over $1.4 million
worth of equipment from the UK. The
agreement provides for an increase in the number of joint training missions,
the British military experts, along with enhanced sharing of intelligence data
and expertise. Britain will also supply Ukraine's army with new military
equipment to help Kiev's forces in its conflict with separatist groups in the
country's east. The equipment, which consists of $1.3 million (£850,000) in non-lethal
military aid, comes as on the back of a request from Kiev officials. The
package includes first aid kits, night vision goggles, laptops, helmets and GPS
units. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the latest announcement was in reaction
to what he perceived as "Russia's aggression" in the Ukrainian
conflict.

"The UK is
committed to supporting Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial
integrity in the face of Russia's aggression."Britain, along with the US and
EU, has accused Russia of interfering with the Ukrainian conflict, and
providing military assistance to separatist groups in the country's east.
However Moscow has continually denied these claims. The latest delivery of non-lethal
military equipment follows last week's announcement that the UK will send 75
military advisors and trainers to Ukraine to provide assistance to local
forces. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon confirmed the forces would not be
engaging in military combat but would be providing military assistance and
logistical advice to Kiev government forces. "We are providing non-lethal
assistance that has been requested by the Ukrainian Government to enhance the
capability of their armed forces and to attempt to reduce the number of fatalities
and casualties that they have suffered," said Fallon.

Monday, March 21, 2016

March 21, 2016 These National Guard troops are on a firing range, testing new
sniper rifles. These weapons are advanced compared to equipment currently used
by the military in eastern Ukraine. For example, the rifles have advanced
scopes with an option of a thermal or laser telescopic sight – ideal for round
the clock operations. Perhaps most importantly though – the majority come with
the label ‘Made in Ukraine' – something the military leadership hope to see
more of in the future.

Oleksandr Turchynov, Ukraine's National Security and Defence
Council Secretary: "We have set targets for our (weapons) producers to be
a world class example and step-by-step, gradually abandon Soviet weapons and
move towards Ukrainian-made ones." The new weapons have a firing range of
up to 1,200 meters, weight around 4.5kg and use 7.62 caliber cartridges. Oleksandr
Turchynov announced the establishment of a new ammunition production plant. The
only one Ukraine had in Luhansk region is now within the territory controlled
by Russian-backed separatist forces.

Oleksandr Turchynov, Ukraine's National
Security and Defence Council Secretary: "In the near future a scientific
research laboratory will be set up in the sniper training center that will
explore and produce special ammunition for sniper weapons to help hit the enemy
at long distances." Snipers have played a major role since the war in
Donbas broke out in April 2014. But even still, Ukrainian soldiers at the front
complain of a shortage of advanced gear and training. The lack of these
elements prove a distinct disadvantage on the battlefield, against better-armed
Russian-backed separatist forces.

Yuriy Alerov, Ukrainian National Guard
Commander: "Most of the casualties we receive today come from injuries or
deaths from enemy artillery and snipers. We have great experience with our
anti-sniper work." After the trial of these rifles, its hoped production
of the weapons in Ukraine will be expanded - so more snipers can keep the enemy
in their crosshairs and the rest of the country safe.

Sunday, March 20, 2016

March 19, 2016 (IB Times) Amid growing tensions between
the two nations, Russian spies pose a significant risk to Sweden, according to
an annual report from the Swedish security service. Russia’s aggressive spying tactics
include various forms of psychological warfare via “extreme movements,
information operations and misinformation campaigns” designed to target both
policymakers and the general public, the report warns. This is the second
consecutive year that the report singled out Russian spies as Sweden’s biggest
intelligence threat. The 2016 report found that about a dozen diplomats are
operating as spies, despite Stockholm asking some Russian Embassy staff to
leave in 2015. Other spies reportedly worked for airlines and businesses
operating in Sweden. “We see intelligence activities in all these different
areas. In the political, economic, military, and so on. The overall picture is
very disturbing,” Wilhelm Unge, one of the counterespionage researchers who worked
on the report, told local media. Sweden is not a NATO member, but in its role
in the European Union, it participates in economic sanctions imposed by the
28-nation bloc against Russia over its intervention in Ukraine. Sweden has also
called out Russia in recent years for allegedly sending a submarine into the
Stockholm archipelago and its increased military activity in the Baltic Sea,
including bombers rehearsing an attack on Sweden. It’s moved to increase
defense spending and military co-operation with neighboring Finland, also a
non-NATO EU member. Iran and China also represent intelligence threats to
Sweden, the report found. Among terrorist groups, the Islamic State has
increasingly become a potential danger, with growing efforts to radicalize
young people, the report concluded. More than 300 people have traveled from
Sweden to fight in Syria and Iraq with the militants also known as ISIS. Of these, 135 have since returned, while 44 are
dead.

Saturday, March 19, 2016

March 19, 2016 (Ukraine Digital
News) On April 6 in Kyiv (Kiev), the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine and Business
Sweden, the Swedish trade and invest council, will hold “Sweden-Ukraine IT
Connection,” an event to link the Swedish IT sector with its Ukrainian
counterparts. “Ukraine is an attractive destination for many Swedish companies
willing to expand businesses,” the organizers believe, citing the fact that
today Sweden is among the top 20 countries that invest the most in Ukraine. “The
Ukrainian IT industry is one of the most promising sectors, due to strong
scientific legacy and growing pool of qualified and motivated human resources.
Furthermore, Ukraine is a close, competent, innovative and reliable partner for
Swedish businesses,” Business Sweden says. Oscar Stenström, the Swedish State
Secretary for Economic Development and Innovations, will open and take part in
the event. The following topics will be in focus:

1.Business
partnership opportunities between the two countries

2.IT
consulting possibilities in Ukraine for Swedish companies

3.Ukraine
as an investment destination: how to establish and develop an IT company in
Ukraine

4.Start-up
alley: presentation and matching of Swedish and Ukrainian IT startups

Friday, March 18, 2016

March 18,
2016U.S. Senator
John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, delivered
the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding Nadiya Savchenko, the
Ukrainian pilot who was smuggled across the border to Russia where she faces
false charges and illegal imprisonment:

“Mr. President: It has been nearly
two years since Nadiya Savchenko, the first female military pilot in
post-Soviet Ukraine and an Iraq War veteran, was abducted from Ukrainian
territory by pro-Russian separatists and smuggled across the border to Russia
where she faces false charges and illegal imprisonment. She is accused by
Russia of having directed artillery fire that killed two Russian
state-television journalists in eastern Ukraine in June 2014, and then
illegally crossing into Russian territory without proper paperwork. This is
despite clear evidence provided by her lawyers that she was captured by
separatists before this incident occurred, and then hauled across the border in
handcuffs with a sack over her head. Following her capture, Nadiya has
reportedly endured interrogations, solitary confinement, and was subjected to a
psychiatric evaluation at the infamous Russian Serbsky Institute, where Soviet
authorities were once known to torture political dissidents. Further media
reports suggest that she is gravely ill and near death.

Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko

There are international laws that
govern the treatment of prisoners of war. But Russia continues to deny that it
is fighting a war in Ukraine, and is therefore treating Nadiya as a common
criminal. While there are also international laws that govern the treatment of
common criminals, Russia has shown as much regard for those laws as Ukraine’s
sovereignty or the rights of Russians like Boris Nemtsov. From her prison cell
in Russia, Nadiya said, ‘If I am found guilty, I will not appeal. I want the
entire democratic world to understand that Russia is a Third World country with
a totalitarian regime and a petty tyrant for a dictator and it spits on
international law and human rights.’

And in her last appearance in court,
Ms. Savchenko said, ‘The trial proves the guilt of Russian authorities; they
are to blame for seizing Ukrainian lands, capturing Crimea and starting a war
in the Donbas region. They are to blame for trying to establish – through their
foul undeclared wars all over the world – a totalitarian regime dominated by
Russia.’

She ended her court appearance by
saying, ‘Russia will return me to Ukraine yet. Whether I am dead or alive. It
will return me.’

Thursday, March 17, 2016

March 16, 2016 (Voice of America) Two
years into a war that has been largely forgotten, Ukraine’s defense minister
says his country still needs lethal assistance to stop further Russian
aggression while the Ukrainian military continues to modernize. General Stepan
Poltorak sat down with VOA recently to discuss the challenges Ukrainian armed
forces face. He said his military has come a long way from the corrupt,
hollowed out force it was in 2014 when he took over as defense chief, but said
it still needs much help as Russia shows no sign of ending its intervention in
the east of his country. VOA Europe Correspondent Luis Ramirez reports from
Kyiv.

Saturday, March 12, 2016

March 11, 2016 The
revolution in Ukrainian policing is continuing to spread across the country. At
least 245 new patrol police officers have been sworn in at a ceremony in Poltava. Among the new recruits there are more than 30 men
who've served in eastern Ukraine fighting Russian-backed separatist forces.50
recruits are female. The presentation of
the new police structure was attended by the Prime Minister of Ukraine ArseniyYatsenyuk. 22
new police patrol cars are equipped with modern means of communication,
including tablet PCs, through which policemen have the opportunity to
immediately receive information from an appropriate electronic databases.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

March 5, 2016 Have you ever heard a famous song "Comme
d'habitude" perfomed by the great Claude François, an Egyptian-born French pop singer, songwriter
and dancer. Even if you have not, you definitely have heard the same song but
under the name “My way” performed by another great singerFrancis Sinatra. But I bet you have
never heard this song perfomed in Georgian by vocal octet of Georgian doctors –
vocal amateurs.

On my understanding its so beautiful! Just think it out: if
this song was performed so amazing by amateurs, how it could be performed by
professionals? Watch this video at

Friday, March 4, 2016

March 4, 2016 (UNIAN News Agency) It will take Ukraine at least
another 20 years to join the European Union or NATO, a top EU official
predicted Thursday, dashing hopes in the country for quick accessions to the
bloc and the military alliance, Ukraine's weekly newspaper Zerkalo Nedeli with
reference to Europe Online Magazine. The push for closer ties between Ukraine
and the EU lies at the heart of the current crisis in the former Soviet
country, which was triggered by protests in 2013 over a failed attempt to
finalize an EU-Ukraine free trade deal, the report notes. The agreement has
since been signed and implemented, while the EU is paving the way for Ukrainian
citizens to be able to visit the bloc without visas. Top officials in Ukraine
have also repeatedly expressed the wish to join the EU.

But European Commission Jean-Claude
Juncker said during a speech in The Hague on Thursday that "Ukraine will
definitely not be able to become a member of the EU in the next 20-25 years,
and not of NATO either," according to the report. Juncker made his
comments in the context of a referendum that the Netherlands will hold in April
on the EU-Ukraine free trade deal. The commission president said that some
Dutch voters have misunderstood that agreement as the first step towards
membership. It is noted that the commission, the EU's executive, plays a
leading role in accession negotiations between the bloc and aspiring members.